Raising taxes is an option for the Governor, but taking responsibility for it is not

by: Jason Springer

Mon Mar 29, 2010 at 12:15:00 PM EDT

I'm wondering how long the media is going to let the Governor get away with saying he's not going to raise taxes or that raising taxes isn't an option. It's an often repeated line that mostly goes unchallenged when he says it. Here's what the Governor said on a radio show the other day:

"Now on the budget we are going to have some back and forth, and of course they want me to raise taxes, and I am simply not going to it. I've made it very clear to them, but I'm sure we'll hear a lot of political rhetoric over the course of the next few months where they try to test my resolve but I'm not going to be raising taxes. So we'll learn about each other."

Lets just look at some recent headlines and stories from the same media that is letting the Governor get away with spouting this ridiculous talking point:

NJ property tax bills rise as rebates face the ax
N.J. Transit fare hikes: A tax by another name
NJ could see property taxes rise by 10 percent because of cuts to school aid
Gov. Chris Christie's budget: Working poor are stiffed with reduced earned income tax credit
Woodbridge school aid cut may prompt 4 percent tax hike, 280 layoffs
Fewer districts for fewer cuts
Summit's city, school officials split over size of acceptable tax increase
North Hanover BOE proposes layoffs, tax hike
Moorestown cuts dozens of jobs and raises tax rate
What if all of Gov. Christie's state aid cuts are passed on to property taxpayers?

Yet the Governor continues to walk around saying raising taxes is not an option and the media prints it. Don't they even read what they print anymore? Is that asking to much? If property tax bills are rising because the Governor cuts funding tax rebates and shcool aid out of his budget, after promising he wouldn't during the campaign, shouldn't they call him on his nonsense? It's getting past ridiculous the pass this guy is getting. Raising taxes is an option for the Governor, but taking credit for it is not. The only people who are being spared are those who will benefit from the millionaire's tax he refuses to extend. That's the story they should be writing.

Jason Springer :: Raising taxes is an option for the Governor, but taking responsibility for it is not

Tags: budget, taxes, tax cuts, Chris Christie, millionaires tax, (All Tags)

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Raising taxes is an option for the Governor, but taking responsibility for it is not | 1 comments

The governor... (0.00 / 0)

is trying something that has never been attempted before. There is no way the state can force the localities to spend less (other than property tax caps).
Local governments added 11,000 employees last year, all while our economy shrunk and the private sector lost 10's of thousands of jobs.

This is the first serious attempt at 'starving the beast'. How each locality reacts to these cuts will put local leaders on the spot. I, for one, don't believe the governor's cuts necessarily have to made up with local tax increases.

The maximum these towns are losing is 5% of their school budgets. I just refuse to believe that these districts have been operationg so efficiently that they cannot possibly absorb a max 5% cut in funding.

Also, isn't it a little telling that there seems to be very little complaining from the 'former Abbot districts'. What does that say?

"Where ever you go, there you are." - Buckaroo Bonzai

by: William Weber (WjcW) @ Mon Mar 29, 2010 at 17:09:31 PM UTC